The Play
by RasberryGirl
Summary: Jake and Cassie are cast as the leads in the school play


**(Jake)**

My name is Jake. I'm pretty sure you know all about me, or atleast what we've told you. As you probably already know, the yeerks are everywhere. You won't be able to recognize one, because they live in your head. They're called controllers. My brother, Tom, is one. There are many other kinds of controllers. The ones on Earth are Taxxons and Hork-Bajir. Taxxons are big, disgusting worms. They're allies with the yeerks. Hork-Bajir aren't. Basically, they're walking Salad Shooters on legs, as Marco once put it. 

Despite being slightly obnoxious, Marco is my best friend. He's kinda short, with shoulder-length black hair and dark eyes. My cousin Rachel, on the other hand, is tall, has blonde hair, and blue eyes. They're always getting on each others nerves. Rachel's kind of a determined person, and you don't want to get on her bad side. The only one who can calm her down is Tobias. Tobias is a human nothlit stuck in the body of a hawk. He can still morph, but now his natural form is a hawk.

The last person in our group is Cassie. Cassie is short, with black hair and dark brown eyes. Cassie is a really nice person. I care about her a lot. I'll admit that I'm attracted to her, but not just for her appearance. In fact, most of the time she's in overalls and a t-shirt. That's because she spends a lot of time helping her father take care of sick animals in the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, also known as Cassie's barn. That's us. The only resistance against the yeerks. Lately they had been quiet, though. Our last trip down to the yeerk pool caused a big blow and they were still replenishing their defenses. We had been resting, trying to have a little normalcy in our not-so-normal lives. That would soon change, in a very dramatic way.

**(Cassie)**

"Hey Cassie!" said Rachel. I quickly spotted her in the mad rush of bodies in the hallway. She made her way through the crowd over to me. We started walking. 

"So what's up?" I asked. Rachel tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and laughed. 

"You'll never believe what Ms. Kendall did", she said. Ms. Kendall is the drama teacher. Let's just say that she was a little, um, well, different. I had taken drama before our old teacher, Mr. Duncan, transferred to another school, so I was never in her class. I'm sure I'm one of the lucky ones. Rachel continued talking. "Apparently she thinks I have "star quality" and she's already signed me up to try out for the spring musical", she said, shaking her head. We turned the corner. I chuckled. "Just wait till Marco finds out. He'll be making jokes about Xena, Warrior Princess taking Broadway by storm", I said jokingly. We made it to the choir room where tryouts were being held. 

"Sorry, Rach. Hope you do well", I said, and started to walk away. She grabbed my arm and shook her head.

"Uh, uh, you're not going anywhere", she said. I groaned inwardly and followed her into the crowded room. I spotted Jake and Marco. They saw us too because they walked over to where we were standing.

"Hi Jake", I said. He smiled at me.

"Hey Cass", he said.   
"Ahem. What about me?" said Marco, putting on a fake pout. "What about you, Marco", said Rachel sweetly to him. Before he could reply, I jumped in. 

"So, what are you guys doing here?" I asked. Jake turned to me.

"Marco volunteered me for the stage crew. I was the only person on the list, of course, so I made Marco come with me today so he would have to sign up too", he said, giving Marco an evil look. Marco raised his hands up in a 'what did I do gesture'. Rachel and I laughed. 

Marco leaned up against a table. "So why are you here, Xena? I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin your perfect nails making props and painting scenery", he said with a cocky grin. Rachel just smiled. 

"Actually, my drama teacher recommended me for the lead role. Some of us actually have talent", she said, walking towards an empty chair. 

Jake and I shook our heads as Marco nearly tipped the table over and said, "Hey, what was that supposed to mean?" I sat down next to Rachel and Jake sat next to me. Marco sulkily sat down on the other side of Jake. Ms. Kendall stood up in the front of the room.

"Thank you all for coming to tryouts", she said in her over dramatic voice. Rachel rolled her eyes. "As you know, our drama department is putting on the play My True Love", she said. Marco snickered. "She's gotta be a controller. Only they would choose some sappy love story", he whispered. We all laughed softly. Ms. Kendall continued. "It's going to take a lot of work, but I know we can make this play wonderful. It's about a young couple and their friends as they struggle through turbulent times to not only find themselves, but find love as well," she said. 

Despite the corny name, the play hit kinda close to home. Me, Jake, Rachel, Marco, and Tobias had all grown close during this war, but Jake and I especially had formed a very close bond. We both care a lot about each other, even though Marco sometimes teases us about it. Ms. Kendall's high voice got my attention. "I already have two volunteers for stage crew-" she looked at Jake, and Jake shot daggers at Marco"-and if there are no further questions, let's get on with tryouts!" she said cheerfully. Ms. Kendall insisted on having Jake and Marco sit beside her as her "special consultants", so now it was just me and Rachel.

"Nervous?" I asked. She looked thoughtful.

"Not really", she said. I looked at her. "Maybe just a little", she admitted. I was about to wish her good luck when Ms. Kendall called Rachel down to read for the main character, Anna Sue. She chose a boy named Chris to read the part of Nicholas, her true love(hence, the name). Rachel stood up and crossed her fingers. I gave her the thumbs up sign. 

"Here we go," said Ms.Kendall. Rachel cleared her throat.

"Oh Michael, I knew you'd come for me", she squeaked, very un-Rachel like. I saw Marco snicker and Jake elbow him under the table. 

Chris, equally squeaky, said,"I couldn't stop thinking about you, my dear." He looke kind of uncertain, then threw his arms around Rachel. She must've seen this coming, because she jumped away just in time. 

"Ew! I don't think so!" she said. Everyone laughed, including me. I couldn't help it. Ms. Kendall shook her head.

"You can sit down now", she said tersely. Chris sat down, looking very embarrassed. Rachel did the same. She nudged me. 

"That bad, huh?" she asked. I grimaced. 

"Uh, yeah", I said. She nodded. We watched every person in the room audition, every couple worse than the last. 

Finally there was no one left. I was getting very bored. I sat up and stretched. "I don't know about you, but I'm not sticking arou-" "You!!" screeched Ms. Kendall, eyes wide, pointing her finger at me.

**(Jake)**

"You!!" she yelled at Cassie. Cassie froze. Ms. Kendall jumped out of her seat next to Marco. She walked over to Cassie. She looked her up and down. I thought I heard her say something about overalls, but then she grabbed her arm and guided her to the empty stage. She shoved a script in her hand. Cassie looked dumbfounded. Before she could say a word, Ms. Kendall pounced on me. "A-ha!!", she said triumphantly. She ushered me on stage the same way she had Cassie and threw a script in my hands. She sat back down. 

Cassie gave me a confused look. I know I must have looked the same. Ms. Kendall settled back down in her seat. Rachel looked just as confused as Cassie. Marco was grinning like a fool. Ms. Kendall cleared her throat. 

"You-"she pointed to Cassie. 

"My name's Cassie" she said. 

"Yes. Cassie, read for Anna Sue, Jake, read for Michael. 

"What?" Cassie and I said in unison. "Um, I didn't come here to try out", Cassie said nervously. I stood beside her. 

"Neither did I", I said. 

"Of course, of course", said Ms. Kendall, ignoring both me and Cassie. "Read", she said. Cassie turned toward me. Here goes nothing, she whispered to me. I discreetly nodded. 

"Oh Michael, I knew you'd come for me!" she said. She actually sounded pretty good. 

"I couldn't stop thinking about you, my dear", I said, trying to sound as convincing as Cassie. Ms. Kendall nodded her head.

"Keep going!" she said excitedly.

"Anna Sue, I would never leave you. Your love has invaded my soul", I said, trying not to think about how corny the words sounded, and also trying not to look like too much of a dweeb in front of Cassie. Cassie stepped forward. 

"Michael, I love you so much. Don't ever leave me!" she said. She's good, I thought.

Before I could say the next line, Ms. Kendall stood. "Perfect! Beautiful! Jake, Cassie, you were wonderful! Or should I say, Michael and Anna Sue!", she exclaimed. Everyone's mouth in the room hit the ground, especially mine and Cassie's. Me? Acting? The idea was so unrealistic, but I knew it was true. Jake, the fearless leader of the Animorphs, was going to play the lead role with Cassie, a girl, overalls and all, I liked. 

**(Cassie)**

"Go Jake!" said Marco, lightly punching his shoulder. We were walking home after the big shock of Jake and me getting the lead in the school play. "Just wait. Today, you're the lead role in the school play. Tomorrow, you're the next Brad Pitt!" he said. I didn't know about the next Brad Pitt thing, but he did do really well. Rachel joined Marco.

"What about Cassie? You were awesome! I didn't know you liked acting!" she said excitedly. 

"Well, actually, I never thought I was good at it", I said. 

"Are you kidding? You were a lot better than I was", she said sheepishly. Marco started laughing. 

"Yeah, you were pretty bad", he said, still laughing. Rachel punched him on the back, then he started choking. Jake and I exchanged exasperated glances. Those two were always at it. My house was farther out than everyone else's, so I said good-bye to everyone. Before I could turn to walk down the street, Jake caught up to me. 

"Wait up!" he said. I slowed down a bit. We continued walking.

"Congratulations, Jake", I said, smiling up at him. He smiled his slow smile then grabbed my hand. 

"You too. I guess we know how to really steal a scene, huh?" he said. I laughed. 

"Yeah".   
"You should've seen the look on your face when Ms. Kendall grabbed you", he said. I playfully shoved him. 

"What about you?" I said. We finally reached my house. "My parents sure are gonna be surprised when they find out I got a part in a play they didn't even know I was trying out for", I said.

Jake nodded. "Me, too. You know, I know this whole thing is crazy, but it feels good to be doing something normal, you know?" he said. 

"Yeah. Well, I gotta go", I said. I pointed to the script Ms. Kendall had given us. "Gotta learn my lines", I said. Jake smiled. 

"Bye Cassie", he said. "Bye". He walked down the street in the direction of his house.

**(Jake)**

Even though it took less than a day to cast the lead roles, Ms. Kendall spent a week casting the minor roles and extras. Surprisingly, Marco and Rachel were among them. Marco's role was small, so he could still be on the stage crew. Rachel was cast as one of Anna Sue's tomboy friends. Ironic, huh? She also helped design the costumes. The play was set in the 1920's in Paris. 

My costume was pretty ordinary, dress pants with a collared shirt and my har slicked to the side. Rachel wanted me to wear this dopeyish messenger boy cap, but I refused. Cassie's was a nice form-fitting two piece blue skirt set. It looked really good on her. Her hair would be set in big waves with a small blue hat on one side. Not to mention the fact Rachel had insisted on Cassie wearing heels. It was kind of funny watching her get used to walking in them. 

My parents were pretty excited that their youngest son was getting involved in the theater. My mom used to be in her school plays, and she helped me rehearse my lines. 

Most of the time I rehearsed with Cassie, seeing that we were in most of the same scenes with each other. One day I was with her, in the barn, rehearsing the last scene. It was the big finale, when the reunite and kiss. Pretty, cliched, I know, but at least it gave me a chance to kiss Cassie without feeling to awkward. 

"I can't live without you Michael! Kiss me! Kiss me now darling!" she said. We both kept quiet for about two seconds before we erupted in laughter. Out of the whole play, that was possibly the corniest line. Marco wouldn't let her live it down.

"Who wrote this anyway?" she asked. I stifled my laughs and got serious again. 

"I love you, Sue Ann. I don't ever want to lose you", I said, trying to sound earnest. I wrapped Cassie in my arms. She pretended to swoon. I was just about to kiss her when Marco walked in. He pretended to be shocked.

"I hope I wans't interrupting anything", he said. I brought Cassie back to her feet. 

"We were rehearsing", said Cassie. 

"Uh huh", said Marco mischieviously. Marco started hugging himself and turned around so it looked like he was kissing someone. He started making smooching sounds.

"I love you! I can't live without yo-"

"Did somebody forget to give Marco his medication?" said Rachel, walking in the barn and giving Marco a pitying look. Marco immediately stopped and looked kind of embarassed. Rachel walked over to Cassie. 

"So, are you two ready for opening night? It's only two days away", she said. 

"I hope so," said Cassie. 

"Me too", I said.

**(Cassie)**

Wow. We had finally made it to Opening Night. My parents left early to meet Jake's parents in the auditorium. They were going to stake out the best seats so they could watch my "debut in show business". I tried to explain to them that I didn't think I'd be in any more plays, but they were too excited to listen. 

Despite my better judgement, the past few weeks rehearsing with Jake and the others had been fun. I gathered my change of clothes for the party afterwards, then headed out towards school. I had barely walked throught the double doors before Rachel whisked me off to the makeshift dressing room.

"Come on. We have to get you in your costume, do your makeup, and hair. Come on!" She dragged me over to my dressing area. 

"Hurry!" she said. 

"Okay, okay. Rachel?" I said. She looked up. She looked really tired. She had almost singlehandedly found and even made some of the costumes in the entire play. 

"You did a really good job", I said. I saw a glint in her eye.

She smiled. "Thanks Cass", she said. She left me to help the boys with their costumes. I quickly got dressed and found Rachel again, who did my hair and makeup. I had never been so dressed up before, and I was kinda nervous. 

Rachel must've seen the look on my face because she said, "Don't worry, you'll do just fine". Twenty minutes later everyone was assembled back stage and Marco was giving last minute instruction. In all the chaos I found Jake quietly going over his lines.

"Hi", I said. He looked up, then smiled.

"Nervous?" he asked. I nodded. He gave me a quick hug. Marco marched over to us.

"Sorry to spoil the moment, but the play starts in thirty seconds!" he said. We scrambled to our positions. I squeezed Jake's had one more time. The curtain rose.

**(Jake)**

Most of the play went by in a blur. I could see mine and Cassie's parents in the front row, taking about a million pictures of us. Even Tom was there. I quickly shook the thoughts of him out of my mind. It was the last scene, the scene where I would kiss Ca- I mean, Sue Ann.

"Kiss me! Kiss me now, darling!", cried Cassie. I grabbed her passionately. I looked at her. She was so beautiful. She gazed into my eyes. I pulled her into my arms. Before I know what I'm saying, the words spill out of my mouth. 

"I love you Cassie. I don't ever want to lose you", I said. She looked slightly surprised, but happy. We starting kissing. We were supposed to pull away after a couple of seconds to signal the end of the play, but neither of us took the initiative to. 

Cassie drew her arms around my neck. I didn't care that the whole school was watching, or that Marco was getting people in the audience to whistle and chant "GO JAKE!!" The only thing I cared about was her. 

When we finally pulled apart the whole cast, including Ms. Kendall, were gaping at us. Rachel and Marco just laughed. 

"We didn't know you had it in you!!" they said at the same time. 

**_The End_**


End file.
